Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Advice needed

I have some of new mom questions. I read all kinds of books, mostly Babywise over and over again, but I want real mom’s advice.

1.     We start Payne’s day everyday at 7 and feed him every three hours.  When did you stat transitioning to a longer time in between feedings?  I am so scared it will mess up his sleeping at night.  

2.  He is sleeping from 7pm-7am.  Do you ever let him sleep until he wakes up? If so how do you do your schedule from there?
  
3.     Rice cereal? For some reason I am scared of this stuff. We haven’t started it yet. When and how should I introduce this? How many times a day do you feed them this?

4. Do you make your own baby food? If so how long does it take and what and how do you make it?

5.     We are starting an at home daycare in January.  I am a schedule follower and am very obsessive about it. Should I be worried about him not sticking to the schedule at daycare?

Any advice you can give me would be much appreciated! Thanks ahead of time.


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Sarah, I know you are such a proud mommy! Payne is a doll. Just a little advice from an "old", experienced mom. A schedule is good, but as Payne gets older, he will set his own schedule. It's OK to deviate as every child is different, with different needs. I tried to keep the nap schedules, and bedtime schedules pretty close, but your baby may want to eat more than you're allotting, and that's OK. I found that my two babies, and many others I kept, had very different wants and needs. Obviously, as he gets older, he will sleep less and less as he discovers his world around him. I started rice cereal around 4 months and just a little, mixed with milk at bedtime, at first, and gradually added more. When you start feeding him with the spoon, he will have more outside of him, than inside, as he gets used to a new texture. Y'all are such wonderful parents and my best advice is to take deep breaths, and not to worry if he doesn't stick to a strict schedule. He's an individual and he's going to start "telling" you when he wants to sleep and eat. Above all, enjoy each age...it goes by way too fast. Enjoy him! Love, Lisa Bamburg

Wendy Thibault Kane said...

Hi Sarah! Well, as an old and new mom, I feel qualified to answer your questions! LOL! At least I'll tell you what I've done.

1. He'll start going longer between feedings when he starts solids. For now I'd just watch his cues. If he seems to need more, feed him more. If he doesn't seem hungry, then hold off until he does.

2. Yes, I let James sleep until he wakes up every morning. Then we just start our routine from there. Unless he sleeps incredibly longer than usual. Then I modify his feedings a bit. But I can do this b/c I stay home. If we have somewhere to be, he gets woken up, unfortunately.

3. Rice cereal - ask your doctor. The general advice my peds have given me is to start it at 4 months. The first couple of weeks it'll just be experimenting and he WILL end up wearing more than he injests. But it'll get better as he learns to eat from a spoon. James is 9 months old and I give him rice cereal in the morning and at supper time.

4. I have almost made my own baby food with each kid. And with each one, I get busy and wonder how on earth any one finds time for stuff like that. So all 3 of mine have ended up eating the jarred kind. Gerber, usually. And they are all healthy! But lots of moms swear by it.

5. Don't worry about him sticking to the schedule. Your daycare provider will probably keep him on one, but it may not be the exact one you've set. As long as he appears to be getting enough to eat, enough sleep, and is happy, then he's fine.

The one book that helped me tremendously was "The Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg. It's kind of old (got my copy in 2001) but it's how I learned to take care of babies. It's main philosophy is a structured routine rather than a strict schedule or just flying by the seat of your pants. :) You might give it a read if you have time.

Good luck! I know you and Ryan are doing great!

Jen said...

I could write a book myself on all of these topics! Ha!

I only wake my kids if it is necessary in the mornings. That said, they tend to get up at the same time each day so our routine doesn't usually change because of their wake-up time.

When Payne starts solids regularly (around 6 months or so) he'll be ready to space out his feedings to about every 4 hours.

Rice cereal - Start giving him some with a spoon around 4 months. It isn't really a nutritional thing (I don't think) but more of a way for him to get used to eating from a spoon. I would start with just once a day and then up it to twice then be ready for three meals once he starts eating the "real" babyfood. I don't think it is really important for him to get a certain number of servings of rice cereal a day. Ask your pedi though.

Baby food - I made mine and I just sent a very long email to my cousin about it. Ask Whitney when you see her or talk to her - she knows how I did it. Super easy and much cheaper!

I have no advice on the daycare thing. I would only say that you need to be honest with your daycare provider so she knows what Payne is used to and you guys should work together to make sure all of his needs are met.

Keep us posted! Good luck with it all! He is such a doll. I love the three month pictures :)

Sara said...

First of all, love your blog and reading about your wonderful family! I joined the MOPS group and saw you there last month, but did not introduce myself...I will next time:)

1. Bryce seemed to transition himself to longer in between once we introduced cereal and other foods. Don't worry, it will happen on its own and should not mess him up.

2. Bryce sleeps from 6:00-6:30 pm to around 6:00 to 6:30 am - he wakes up on his own so we never have to wake him up.

3. We started rice cereal around 3-4 months, but I will admit he hated it and still hates anything plain like that. We tied to oatmeal instead and he liked that much better.

4. I did not make my own baby food. I am a working mom so buying the baby food was just easier for me:)

5. Bryce is in daycare and they have ALWAYS followed my exact instructions for his care including feeding him when and what I say. They should follow any instructions you leave.

Just know I am always wondering if I am doing things right and as a first time mom as well, I think it is just part of it. I have learned that with every change and transition it was always easier than I thought it would be.

Best of luck with everything!

Lilly, Reid, Matt, and Sara said...

I feel like both of mine every 3 hours for ever...but pretty much until he starts eating real food.

I never wake my kids up...unless necessary...and then sometimes I think about just skipping it or staying up late. Doesn't really affect the schedule...we just do everything at the same time from when they do wake up. Also,schedules are GREAT but you don't want him to be on such a rigid schedule that his whole day is ruined if something doesn't go right on schedule.

Lilly hated cereal at 4 months so we held off until 5 1/2 months--then she loved it. Reid wanted it at 4 months. Contrary to popular belief, this never helped mine sleep any longer or better.

Bought store bought baby food.

He will get into his own schedule--you should relax (for your own mental health) about the schedule. (c: Kids naturally settle into a schedule. They like being in a routine.

You are doing great!

Jill Henley said...

www.wholesomebabyfood.com is a great resource for making your own food. I make my 8 mo. old son's food and he LOVES it. I just use my blender at home. You can buy the frozen vegetables in steamable bags and then puree them to what consistency you want them. Very easy and less expensive. After you puree them, fill ice cube trays and cover with wax paper. Once frozen, pop them in ziplocs and label. Each cube is approx 1 oz of food. I also buy Mussellman's Natural Applesauce instead of coring, steaming and pureeing apples. We started rice in his bottles at 3 weeks old per doctors orders for sever acid reflux and he still gets it in every bottle to help keep the milk down, but he also loves rice and oatmeal during meals. We tried rice on a spoon at 3 months.

Brittany said...

My baby eats about every 4 hours. We are always on his own schedule. He lets me know when he's hungry! I work 3 days a week and he will get up after we've been stirring around for a while. On days that I'm home my husband will get him up and give him a fresh diaper and he goes into the bed with me or his swing and we sleep for another hour or so.
I buy Gerber baby food. There are lots of coupons available for it too.

Trumbo Family said...

Trevor eats am/pm cereal mixed with fruit in am and veg in pm. We buy babyfood from SAMS. He still takes bottle about every 3. Just feed him when he cries....he will let you know. I was obsessed with strict sched. with Trenton and all it did was stress me out more when he didn't do what I THOUGHT he should be doing. They do a better routine sched. later...don't worry.

The Wilson's said...

Hi Sarah,

Ive never commented on your blog before but I have read it for a while. I went to high school with Ryan and your cousin, Kristin L. is one of my very good friends. I have a little girl who is 2 years old... so here is my little 2 cents... hope it helps!

1. My daughter never had a set schedule as an infant really... I am a teacher and had to go back to work, and she started daycare at 16 weeks. They honestly got her on a better schedule than I ever would have. I just kind of went with whatever I felt that she needed. She was a terrible sleeper, but ate well. She was really small at birth (5'12) so weight was and is ALWAYS an issue with her. She told me when she was hungry, and I fed her - it is still pretty much that way.

2. I always let her sleeps until she wakes up. That is, until it is time to get her ready for daycare, we would wake her up and now her internal alarm clock has set and she wakes up on her own most week days and even sleeps in on the weekends.

3. My daughter hated rice cereal - tried putting it in her bottle - failed! then, tried it in a bowl with a spoon - hated that also. LOVED the oatmeal - banana I believe. Just tried a little every day... sometimes she would eat more than others. Just kept trying it, and she loved it.

4. I made my own baby food. Just fruits and veggies - no meats. I literally googled homemade baby food, I think the first site that pops up was what I used as a guide. I just did a food processor/blender and froze it in ice cube trays. I made tons of it - banana, carrots, green beans, blue berries, apples, sweet potatoes - you name it, my daughter loved it. I even sent it to daycare and they just followed the directions I typed out for them. Cheap and you make a ton. My daughter like it more - the textures are more authentic which I believed led her in to the fabulous eater of fruits and veggies that she is now.

5. Daycare - Ive had a love/hate relationship with daycare since she started - I am an obsessive sched follower as well, and my daycare has always been compliant, and has even taught me many things. He will do great, flourish, and amaze you! Dont worry about your sched vs theirs- if possible, learn there schedule it is way easier on you both!

Good luck! you are doing great!

Jennifer said...

1. He will probably eat ervery 3 hours for a while. Even after you add in baby food he will probably still eat either baby food or formula every 3 hours. I don't think Brody ever went more than 3 hours the entire first year but he was nursing so it may be different for Payne.

2. I always wake mine for their morning feeding. Some people say never to wake a sleeping baby but I always woke Brody early on to keep him in his routine. If Payne regularly starts sleeping later then adjust his feedings.

3. I started it at 4 months with Brody. He hated it until we mixed it into baby food. Try mixing it with water and spoon feed it to him or you can also add it to a bottle. As long as he is gainning weight he doesn't have to have rice cereal or baby food until 6 months.

4.I made all my baby food for the entire first year! I will come over soon and help you if you want to have a food making party. :) I would take a day and make a ton of food that lasted the entire month. It's cheap and easy! I loved making it and cannot wait to make it for JK!

Try not to stress so much about a schedule! Babies really do get into their own routine as long as you stay consistent. And try not to hyper-schedule him or it will backfire and he will not be as flexible of a baby. Y'all are doing great!

Marci Parrott said...

Girl,I just know you are an awesome mama and your guys are well taken care of. I have 3 kiddos, all were a bit different but I basically did the same thing with all and just tweaked it here and there. Some kids needed different things at different times. I am a scheduler too.Take or leave any of my advice...
1. We did longer transitions when they slept through the night (8-10 hrs) for 1 week. And we did it at different feeding times. You pick when you want your day to start. EX: 8, 11:30, 2:30 5:30 8. Because we wanted them to go to bed at 8. We did this routine from like 3 months-6 months. At 6 months we started 8, 12,4, 8. These are goals...
2. Yes, Saturdays :).so if you want him to sleep later I would start now. Once you get them set on a waketime they pretty much stay pretty close to it even if they "sleep in".
3. Rice cereal is great. We introduced it at the end of 3 months. Jack and Hudson were all about it. Anna Kate wasn't consistent until 5 months. Once a day in the beginning. Then work up to 2-3x a day.
4. No, I have 3 kids 3 and under and another coming :). I've heard it's great if you just take one day and make all your food for the month. You can totally do it if you want!
5. I've learned( am learning) schedules are great guidelines. I think schedules make for happy kids and happy moms. They know what to expect for the most part.That's the ultimate goal, somedays you deviate out of necessity and it's ok. I'm sure your caretaker will be awesome with Payne. It may not be perfect and exact, but that's ok too. The beauty is you can do whatever you want for your family. It's your family, so do what you all want!

Marci

Boni Williamson said...

Sarah,

I have been reading your blog for a while now. (I just stumbled across it while I was blog surfing at work). First of all, you are a GREAT Mommy. Don't stress too much, because you are doing fantastic.

I hope I can help with a few of these questions. I have three daughters, but that by NO MEANS makes me an expert! :)

1. The longest I ever scheduled the girls out during feedings was 4 hours (they were on formula). The easiest way to extend it is just do about 15 - 30 minutes longer between each feeding until you get to where you want to be. I doubt it will affect his sleeping as he probably now understands "Night=sleep".

2. I always let my girls sleep until they woke up on the weekends. (I know it's not ideal during the week when you're working). No matter what time she woke up, I just started the schedule from there. Funny thing is, all of them didn't sleep much longer than their original weekday schedule!

3. Rice cereal is not scary. It's wonderful! We introduced it with a spoon in a VERY watery substance only at night. We just used part of her bottles and mixed a little in a small bowl (the size of a condiment cup from Chilis or something). We thickened it from there as she got used to it.

4. Never made my own baby food...

5. I am a BIG schedule Mommy too! That's how we function in life! When my girls started daycare, I typed out a schedule and had them hang it up where it was visible. It was a very smooth transition and made for a happy baby. The only thing that is hard to stick to at first is naps. They are so curious when they start daycare, none of mine slept much the first week or so at daycare, which just ended up meaning a super early bed time. But, everything else was SMOOTH sailing!

Again, you are a great Mommy. Please don't stress and fret. Everything will come in it's due time. If I can help in any other way, please email me. boni.williamson@gruposos.com (that's my work email and I'm on it ALL.DAY.LONG!)

Roxie said...

I'm a Baby Wise Mom of 6. 2 Biological children (10 and 8) 2 adopted littles (both 2& 1/2 year olds), and 2 sweet babies that we fostered as newborns that reunited with there familys. All that to say, Baby Wise is great and has worked well for ALL of our children. From my extreamily healthy, did everything by the book wile pregnant, chubby, walked at 8 month's daughter, to our 6 week premie,tiney, drug addicted, precious son. I have read and used all of the Baby Wise books, and am currently carrying the Toddler Wise book around the house with me, hoping it will help me be successfull with two 2 year olds! Then we will be on to Potty Wise. I fully believe the principals used in the 1st book really make for a happy, and healthy baby and Whole Family! I just always try and remind my self that it really is "just a schedule" and if it goes compleatly out the window today, we can always start over tomorrow. I do remember transitioning the "twins" ( they are 2 weeks apart, so we call them our twins) to a 4 hour schedule was hard, and we had to try a few times befor it "took". If they arn't ready they will let you know. But it never seamed to effect the night time sleep. Once that was established the only time they would wake during the night was if they were sick. My 8 year old will still come to me and say, I need to go to bed, if he is tired. He has never fought sleep like I know a lot of kids do. When he was 4 and we were visiting family, I remember him comming to me and saying " Mommy, I need a bed!" when he was tired. Good sleep makes for such calm, mild mannerd babies and children, in my experiance.